Chair’s Report from the FCC Agenda Selection Meeting – Autumn Conference 2025, Bournemouth

The Federal Conference Committee met on Saturday to review submissions and finalise the agenda for Autumn Conference in Bournemouth, taking place from 20 to 23 September 2025. We’re very much looking forward to returning to Bournemouth; a venue many members know and love.

Motion Submissions and Agenda Planning

As ever, we received a strong volume of submissions, reflecting the wide engagement across the party. In total, we received:

• 36 policy motions
• 3 business motions
• 4 constitutional amendments
• 2 standing order amendments 

Following detailed discussion and several rounds of selection, the FCC agreed to include:

• 20 policy motions
• 1 business motion
• All 4 constitutional amendments (as they were in order and must therefore appear on the agenda)
• All 2 standing order amendments (as they were in order and must therefore appear on the agenda)

We are extremely grateful to all the members, local parties, AOs who submitted motions. The time and effort put into drafting and submitting policy ideas is deeply appreciated.

As always, it’s never easy to narrow down such a strong field of proposals. We wish we could include more; but time at conference is limited. We’ve done our best to include as many debates as possible within the available space. In addition, there are a number of mandatory business items, such as constitutional and standing order amendments, which, when in order, must be taken and therefore reduce the time available for policy debates.

Themed Days and Upcoming Announcements

This year’s Conference will include two themed days — one focused on Climate Change, and one on Youth and Skills. These will provide a wider thematic thread across debates and other events during the Conference. More details will follow when we publish the agenda.

The Conference Agenda and Directory will be published in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t yet registered, you can do so at: https://www.libdems.org.uk/conference

Drafting Advice and Amendment Deadlines

We also want to highlight the drafting advice service offered by the Committee, which supports members in refining the structure and clarity of their motions. While this service does not provide policy guidance, members may wish to contact the relevant spokespeople, policy working groups, or party bodies if advice on substance is needed.

In addition, we’ll be running a training session at Conference on how to write a good policy motion — full details will be listed in the agenda.

Key deadlines to note:

• Drafting advice deadline (amendments and emergency motions): 13:00 on 26 August 2025
• Final deadline (amendments, emergency motions & questions): 13:00 on 8 September 2025

Transparency and Motion Bundle

In line with our commitment to transparency, we are publishing:

1. A list of all motions submitted, including whether or not they were selected, and brief reasons for non-selection. Please note that motion titles may be edited before final publication.
2. The full bundle of motions considered by the FCC, which we hope members will find useful and informative. For the motions selected, there may be some minor drafting amendments made to the motions between now and publication.

FCC Standing Order and Constitutional Amendment

You will see from above that the FCC has tabled a standing order and constitutional amendment around ‘Reporting at Conference.’ The proposed changes from the Federal Conference Committee (FCC) represent an enhancement of party democracy, reaffirming the principle of accountability while updating how it is delivered. Following extensive consultation with the chairs of the various federal committees, these proposals have been carefully shaped to reflect both practical experience and the evolving needs of members. By maintaining robust scrutiny for all key federal bodies directly elected by members, the proposals uphold transparency and democratic oversight. At the same time, they create new, more flexible opportunities for meaningful engagement, such as expanded Q&A sessions at Conference outside the auditorium and year-round interactions, freeing up valuable conference time for policy debate. This approach streamlines constitutional processes, resolves long-standing inconsistencies, and ensures members can engage more deeply, more often, and in more effective formats. It is a positive step towards a more agile, responsive, and member-driven party structure.

Mike Ross, Co-Chief Steward

You may have seen on Facebook that Cllr Mike Ross, Leader of Hull City Council, who has been a Steward for over 25 years, and Chief Steward for over 10 years, is stepping down from his role following Autumn Conference. On behalf of the current and former FCC members we want to thank him for the incredible work that he has done over the past years in his role. He has been an invaluable guide and support to all FCC members and the team at HQ as well. He’s done so much at Conference for enhancing our members’ experience and I want to thank him from the bottom of our hearts for everything that he has done. 

Thanks and Final Thoughts

I want to thank all members of the FCC for their time and thoughtful contributions during what was a full and productive meeting; and to the staff who supported us throughout.

We look forward to seeing you in Bournemouth for what promises to be another engaging and lively Conference.

Nick da Costa
Chair, Federal Conference Committee